The middle of March got off to a rough start in Regina, with temperatures below normal.

Terri Lang, a meteorologist with Environment Canada, said average temperatures for this time of year were around 0 C for a high and -12 C for a low.

Temperatures on Monday were below that, with wind chills dipping into the -30 C range.

“It’s a little bit out of the average range for this year, but not unheard of, of course,” Lang said. “Some of the record temperatures are closer to the -30 C mark so I guess we can’t complain too much.”

But Lang said some good news was on the horizon. Temperatures are expected to hit above zero in Regina by the middle of the week, as Pacific air comes in off the mountains.

“It’s going to feel like a tropical paradise once the temperature gets above zero. It’s been quite a winter of extremes for here us on the Prairies,” Lang explained.

She added while the extreme trend should continue into springtime, colder days like Monday are numbered.

“It gets harder and harder for it to get this cold,” she said. “Once you kind of have the warm air return, it gets harder for that cold air to kind of come down and invade again.“

“Even sitting in your car, I think you know in the middle of the day, it’s starting to get warm in the car. The rays really help warm it up.”

But Lang is hesitant to take wild weather, like extreme cold or heavy snowfall, off the table. She said there are a few systems on the horizon that could bring snow, but none look “significant” yet.